No Consensus Reached for FCC on 'Symbol Rate' Issues

In April, the FCC granted the ARRL's request for a 90-day hold in the proceeding, FCC Docket WT 16-239, to provide an opportunity for ARRL to lead an effort to determine whether consensus could be reached on some or all of the issues that commenters have raised in the FCC’s proceeding. The FCC already has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in WT 16-239, which stemmed from ARRL’s rulemaking petition RM-11708.

Discussions were since widened to include issues raised in another Petition for Rulemaking, RM-11831, filed by Ron Kolarik, K0IDT, that seeks, in the words of his petition, “to ensure Amateur Radio digital modes remain openly decodable and available for monitoring” by the FCC and by other third parties, including other radio amateurs. His petition also aims to limit Automated Controlled Digital Stations (ACDS) to identified HF sub-bands, to reduce interference. Last month, ARRL filed an interim report with the FCC summarizing its efforts to bring all sides to the table, and on June 28, ARRL requested an additional 60-day pause to pursue promising talks.

ARRL Story - http://www.arrl.org/news/no-consensus-reached-for-fcc-on-symbol-rate-issues